Take your child to work day.

[LadyDaria]

Ahh can there be any worse day for the lonely and or childless... I hate this day. It started as 'take your daughter to work day' then, it was 'take your children to work day' then it became, take any child that you can, to work day. And pretty soon it is a free for all. I mean... if there was anything comparable for singles.... or, if they gave us the choice of not being at work on that day... ok. But it is the same old same old.. not only are the singles doing the work of the day, but, they have to deal with all these strange kids which is awkward and hard.

Last year we didn't have it because of a local emergency which shut down work on the day we were to have it. But this year... they were back.

In my workplace, annoyingly, they have all these events for the kids and their parents... so it is extremely annoying... like a party day for those who have kids but the rest of us have to work and of course.. feel not up to snuff.

 

[Mr.YellowCat]

Can you speak to the boss? Maybe, if he/she is a compassionate and thoughtful person, some arrangement can be made up. Or can you take a day off? Like vacation I mean...

And on a funny note (sorry if inappropriate), you may dress as a superhero, princess, supervillan, cowboy, or something like that, and claim you brought your inner child with you. And you may use that to your advantage, claiming that "cowboys dont do paperwork!" or something like that.

 

[LadyDaria]

Can you speak to the boss? Maybe, if he/she is a compassionate and thoughtful person, some arrangement can be made up. Or can you take a day off? Like vacation I mean...

Ha nope the workplace is all about marriage and kids. probably a vacation day next year... but I shouldn't have to.

And on a funny note (sorry if inappropriate), you may dress as a superhero, princess, supervillan, cowboy, or something like that, and claim you brought your inner child with you

.

Funny. Maybe I will do that next year but somehow, I don't think it will go over well.

 

[SofiasMami]

How do you know all the kids there were your coworkers' sons or daughters? They could have been nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbors, students, someone the adult was mentoring. May I gently suggest that kids are not accessories or status symbols.

If you like kids so much and feel like you're missing out on something, why don't you join an organization and mentor a kid or become a Big Sister? Then you will have someone to take to work. Bitterness over other people's life situations will eat you up inside.

-Teresa

 

[LadyDaria]

Bitterness over other people's life situations will eat you up inside

See that is it.. it is their life. Their life is "personal" yet for this one day, I am trapped in their life simply by going to work.... It is inappropriate. What in my personal life I was really into rabbits and I lobbied and got "take your rabbit to work day". Where we would have rabbit dunking contests and special rabbit treats where I couldn't be at my desk dong my work because I had to watch the rabbits... not appropriate.

 

[Tiina63]

LadyDaria, I can sympathise with you. In your shoes I would find 'take your children to work day' very painful as well. It is similar to Christmas etc, to all of those times when, for those who are alone, our noses really get rubbed in it. It isn't a question of being bitter, but of wishing that we had had the luck as well to meet someone nice and to have children etc.

 

[Lost Drifter]

We don't have a specific day for this at my work place but people often bring in their kids for visits when they have to pick up some paperwork. Annoyingly women in my department think its fun for me to watch their kids; partly because I'm good with them and partly because they can tease me with "if only you had kids of your own but you don't" jokes afterwards. Now whenever I see a co-worker bringing in their kids, I find something else to do on another floor of the building.

 

[SofiasMami]

Bitterness over other people's life situations will eat you up inside

See that is it.. it is their life. Their life is "personal" yet for this one day, I am trapped in their life simply by going to work.... It is inappropriate. What in my personal life I was really into rabbits and I lobbied and got "take your rabbit to work day". Where we would have rabbit dunking contests and special rabbit treats where I couldn't be at my desk dong my work because I had to watch the rabbits... not appropriate.

I call straw man Rabbits don't grow up to have careers or need role models.
At any rate, if you work on that day next year, try walking up to one of the kiddos and asking what their favorite subject in school is or what they want to be when they grow up. Offer to show a girl what you do during your work day. Perhaps then you won't feel like you're on the outside looking in to an exclusive party that you're not invited to. Crash it.

-Teresa

 

[Badjedidude]

Haha

I have this awesome image of a single person visiting a school playground and desperately trying to offer a random child $1,000 to come to work with them and pretend to be their child.

Maybe it'd be a good comedy movie.

 

[LadyDaria]

I have this awesome image of a single person visiting a school playground and desperately trying to offer a random child $1,000 to come to work with them and pretend to be their child.

Ahh I wouldn't try it.. you might spend a night in a prison cell.

It is painful also because I could bring my nephew but my brother won't really let me. So the entire idea of this thing makes it so my brother has something I want... and that shouldn't really be the case.

I know some day people will come around to how wrong this is... but probably not during my lifetime.

It is off topic to say have fun with the kids... certainly I am friendly and collegial -- because I have to be. And I shouldn't have to be. It isn't like the workplace stays the same either. It is just a fun party for them.. they don't get to see what really happens.

 

[nerdygirl]

I find it a little odd to say that Take a Child to Work Day is inappropriate because it's personal. I disagree because it isn't personal at all. The purpose behind this event is to give children exposure to workplaces, giving them the opportunity to explore potential future careers. As others have mentioned, it doesn't even have to be your child. If you feel excluded, join a mentoring program or borrow a friend's/ relative's child for the day.